Mini Monday; Terrain

Building conveys the flavor of the Far east

When you attend a convention how do you decide which game to play?
If it's a boardgame or an RPG then you usually look for your genre, a new release or
a good description in the convention program.
The same is true with wargames except you also look for the nicest table terrain. Nobody walks
by a table with Minas Tirith without stopping to take a look. If it catches your attention then you're
going to give it a few moments of your time and maybe consider playing it even if it's not you genre
or the newest game in town.

Eli's WWII city fight

Terrain creates the atmosphere for the game. D-Day usually has a beach. Battles in the Sudan a suitable arid desert.
Western gunfights and Samurai skirmishes need some buildings to fight in and around. The Chaotic Northlands should be, well Chaotic!
Don't you expect a castle in Excaliber or a Roman column when watching a gladiator flick? Would you be as excited if all your movies had blue screen
backdrops?

Pirate Action off the coast of Africa

Terrain also creates tactical problems to solve. Getting off the soft beach on D-Day. Marching across a desert that can hide all sorts of enemy
in wadis and embankments. Getting a sharpshooter in that belltower or  only being able to get a couple of guys on a hero because he's at a doorway. Not knowing what that chaotic plant does or if that mystical gateway is active or not.

Charlie's Dungeon

Now at Discover games in Georgia, we're pretty lucky to have a few terrain enthusists. Charlie's tables can almost be a diorama at times. Signs and casual items along the docks or fountains with water that looks like it's flowing in his dungeons. Eli with his WWII terrain that could be right out of a Flame of War book. And myself with an occasional themed table. We all hope that our layout help the players get a bit more into the mood of the period or genre not to mention that they look nice and tend to attract attention and players.

Ancients battle in the Near East, simple sheet

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you have to layout a scale model of Helm's deep or Rourke's Drift before you can run a game.
Start with a decent playsheet that reflects the enviroment your game is set in. You don't wanna be using a green sheet for your naval games and Gettysburg.
Make a few basic terrain pieces that work with that sheet. Green hills on a green cloth, desert hills on a desert cloth. Just basics.
Add a nice building that gives a sense of the time period of your game. Watchers will immediatly see a Japanese styled building and assume far east, once more you're setting the mood and making your game more attractive.
You'll also find that making and/or painting  terrain is usually a lot easier than painting minis.
Give it a go.